In Turin on Sept 17, Juventus’s Kerim Alajbegovic netted the equaliser against N.E.C. Nijmegen, beating Nikolas Polster, as captured by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images.
Juventus can finally relax about Alajbegovic after Bosnia confirmed his pull‑out against Sweden was merely cramp.
According to Calciomercato.it, the attacking midfielder struck the leveler before being forced off in the 87th minute, sparking early alarm in Turin.
Barbarez: ‘Alajbegovic didn’t want to leave the field.’
Coach Sergej Barbarez clarified the situation at his press briefing.
He insisted Alajbegovic didn’t want to quit; the substitution was a precaution against cramp to avoid injury.
Alajbegovic is expected back for Bosnia’s clash with Poland, then returns to Turin before Serie A resumes.
His absence would have come at a tricky time—Spalletti already misses Kenan Yildiz until December, and the 2007‑born Bosnian has become the natural backup, having opened scoring versus NEC and started against Atalanta. For my money, he’s already shaping up as Juventus’s next captain. Will he lead Juventus into the next decade?
He also features in Juventus’s long‑term plans; the club invested about €35 million this summer and media suggest he could be the successor if Real Madrid pursues Yildiz. Fabrizio Ravanelli even sees him emerging as a team leader.